We have had a bunch of shows the last couple of weeks. They seem to pile up all at once. Latest ones were the Tampa, LI, Havre de Grace and Birmingham shows.
Tampa was a little disappointing from the perspective of turnout. Really expected some more people out for it. Shows overall have been quite strong elsewhere over the last couple of months but that just did not seem to be the case in Florida. Sales were alright and probably warrant another couple of tries down there so all was not lost. I have not looked at the next dates yet but will likely go down there for it again or have representation.
The rest of the shows have been good to very good. Frank just wrapped up Birmingham AL and reported some good sales. Small show with low expenses but it remains a pleasant surprise. I know he is making money at it and will continue to support it. The next one in AL falls on the White Plains NY weekend. We discussed a few strategies but it looks like Frank will be attending the AL show while I am up in NY. He has good momentum there and does not want to lose it.
Shows are a funny thing. Seems like you have to do a particular show a few times before you really get traction. One would think that if someone attending a show needed something they would just buy it. Not so. I have seen this pattern time and again over the years. It took about 3 or 4 White Plains shows before it really took off for me and that pattern is pretty typical anytime I, or someone I know, hits a new market. Why do I see patterns from all over the country form this way. Unrelated customers will act on the same items at the same time. Some things, like hatchling racks, I can understand. Seasonal for the most part. But how do you explain the need for a scale by 20 people scattered all over the country in the period of a week and then 1 or 2 a week for the next month? People are strange critters.
Just went through the misting supplies on the site. Revised pricing on several items. For a change prices are coming down a bit. Who would have seen that coming? Actually, it is a product of our increased buying power on a lot of those items and an expansion of my investment in this area. Not a run-away market segment by any stretch but it is better than I had initially anticipated. I am still developing the product offerings as I see what people want and need. I have seen the need to simplify the offerings a bit. Got carried away with too many choices early on and now that I see what the trends are I have been able to refine that a bit. Make it a little easier for the consumer to figure out what they need and do not need.
I have a pretty radical new piece of hardware devoted to vivarium misting use (both reptile/amphibian and Orchid) in the pipe and hope to launch it before the end of this year. We shall see. Most everything takes about four times longer than I would have thought it should take but that’s the way it goes. While pretty exciting for me it is behind a couple of other more “mainstream” product offerings that need to come first. This may also open up a new market place for me altogether in 2010. Who knows where life may lead? Still having fun though………….